Analysing the consumer purchasing behaviour for certified wood products in Italy

Sustainable or ethical consumption increases over time and involves a growing variety of products. In this research we focus on consumption of wood products with Sustainable Forestry Management certification in Italy considering two specific labels: Forest Stewardship Council and Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. We test the role of several attitudinal characteristic of Italian consumers on their purchasing intention with a structural equation model. We consider both direct and indirect impact of ecolabel knowledge, general environmental attitude, attitude toward environmental certification, trust in certification. The results show that all the attitudinal constructs of our model play a significant role in affecting the willingness to pay a premium price for certified wood products. This suggests that firms, policymakers, certifying organizations and all the stakeholders involved in the forestry supply chain can successfully implement targeted information campaigns on ecolabels and environmental issues to increase sustainable consumption. These strategies would also improve trust in ecolabels.

Automated summary

This research examines the impact of attitudinal characteristics of Italian consumers on their willingness to pay a premium price for wood products with Sustainable Forestry Management certification. The results indicate that factors such as ecolabel knowledge, environmental attitude, attitude towards certification, and trust in certification all play a significant role in influencing purchasing intention. This suggests that targeted information campaigns can be effective in promoting sustainable consumption and improving trust in ecolabels.